Getting Old??

I think I'm starting to feel my age. Either that, or I'm starting to feel the cumulative effects of a lack of sleep :) Yesterday, I wrote about how I woke up early, went for a long run, and felt wonderful and energetic. Today, I woke up and felt like a 32-year-old mother of a toddler who probably ran a little more than she should have yesterday, and didn't sleep as much as she should have, and whose back and shoulders were feeling cranky in the humidity. In short, I did not bound out of bed at 4:30 this morning. I got up at 6 and wanted desperately to just stretch out my muscles (which I did). The P90X Stretch routine was the extent of my exercise today, and only because I wanted to try and stand somewhat upright today. In that regard, I suppose it was a success :)

Since I didn't exercise, I opted for a simple Chocolate Mint Smoothie for breakfast. I added some raw spinach and hemp protein to make it a bit more filling. I also shared some oatmeal with my son later in the morning. I used to eat oatmeal every single morning for, like, 5 years in a row. Then I basically stopped eating it, cold turkey, for about a year. Now I'm eating it again. I go on weird eating benders like that. I mean, I think I've had at least one smoothie a day for 2-3 years now. I'm crazy like that! I'll also eat popcorn every night for weeks on end. It's not the most balanced way to eat, obviously, but I figure as long as I'm rotating in other healthy eats, it's all good :)

Now, tonight's dinner was another one that we eat often, and I swear I had already blogged about it before. I think Blogger is eating my posts because there are other things I thought I had blogged about. I'd like to think it's Blogger's fault and not my brain going soft :) Without further ado, I present one of our favorite meals, Tuscan White Beans and Broccoli Rabe, and Lemon-Glazed Baby Carrots with Cranberries, both from 1,000 Vegan Recipes.

Along with some garlic bread, this makes one heck of a simple, filling, nutritious, and delicious meal - my favorite kind!! The broccoli rabe is parboiled, then sauteed with some garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and cannellini beans. I love to top my rabe with some Cholula hot sauce, my son loves nooch on his, and my hubby adds both Cholula and nooch. I didn't even try broccoli rabe until I was, like, 30 years old or something nuts, and now I loooooove it. I could eat an entire bunch of rabe myself!

And these carrots? To die for. So easy to make, and so good. Baby carrots, agave nectar, lemon juice, dried cranberries, and some Earth Balance. Love, love, love them!

I'm almost starting to think of a meal's success (or failure) in terms of how it is received by my toddler son. Every.Single.Bite of this plate was eaten. I'd call that a successful meal!

I'm also psyched because, after nearly a month of blogging, I finally got my first comment today!! :) Unless you are a blogger yourself, you have no idea how exciting that is! I want to give a shout out to my friend and fellow blogger Jessica of The Domestic Vegan for the support and encouragement! You can click the link to check out her awesome blog, or also find it on my blogroll on the sidebar. Have a great night!!